Plastic lipstick holder



Feb. 26, 1946. w, SON 1' 2,395,709

PLASTIC LIPSTICK HOLDER Filed March 30, 1942 Patented Feb. 26, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE John W. Anderson, Danbury, Conn. Application March 30, 1942, Serial No. 436,745

7 Claims.

' relates to expellant types of containers adapted to serve as a cap covered handle structure for housing, expelling, applying and retracting the lipstick or other contained substance. Features of the improvements are of particular value in containers made of certain thermo-plastic materlals which have a pronounced tendency to shrink and warp and therefore require unusually large clearances in the fits of their relatively movable parts;

One object of the invention is to enable an elongated closure cap for a tubular holder of lipstick Or the like to be provided with conslderable l-ooseness of fit with respect to the stickholding or containing shell to which such cap should removably cling with desired tightness when shoved fully into place thereon. 20

A related object is to utilize pressure reactions between a telescopically assembled cap and container for enabling the container to oppose lengthwise sliding therewithin of a plunger-like cup carrying the lipstick. Thiswill prevent the lipstick from shaking back and forth lengthwise of the shell and from thus daubing the inside of the closed end of the cap with part of its own substance. A lipstick of one color is thus prevented from discoloring another lipstick of a different color subsequently used in the same container.

A further object is to produce frictional cling between concentric, open-ended, loosely related, telescoping members of normally round crosssectional shape by forcing the open flexible end of at least one of said members out of round and/or out of concentricity in relation to the other of said members as a means of producing such frictional cling.

A still further object is so to condition the curved wall structure of a container shell in a localized area thereof that such walharea may be forced inward against its inherent resilient resistance by squeezing pressure and then automatically resume its original shape when such pressure is removed.

These and related objects will be more fully understood from the following description of a preferred form of the invention in which .description reference is had to the appended drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is an exploded view in front elevation showing in suitable actual size a lipstick container embodying the present improvementswith I the lipstick in fully expelled position and cap removed to permit its use.

Fig. 2 is a view of the same article in rear elevation.

Fig. 3 is a much enlarged side View of only the bottom portions of the container and cap of Figs. 1 and 2, the cap being broken away and partially removed from the container.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the cap broken away and in fully closed relation to the container.

i Fig. 5 is a view of the container and its contents on the same enlarged'scale as Figs. 3 and 4, showing certain parts partially in section on the plane 5--5 in Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows. I

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of a lower portion of the curved container wall as viewed in Fig. 2 drawn on the same enlarged scale as in Fig. 5.

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary plan view of the container and contents of Fig.5.

Fig. 8 is a plan view taken in section on the plane 8-8 in Fig. 3.

'Fig. '9 is a plan View taken insection on the plane !l-- 9in Fig. 4. V

Fig. 10 is afragmentary View taken in section on the plane Ill-4U in Fig. 7 looking in the direction of the arrows. I I

Fig; 11 is a fragmentary view taken on the plane Il-fll in Fig. 7 looking in the direction of the arrows.

A cosmetic container embodying these improvements may be composed of as few as" three members, each of which may constitutea single integral piece ofmolded plastic material. Plastics of a kind which may be molded in varied and brilliant colors and feel Warm and pleasant to the touch and be produced at lowest possible cost, are particularly suitable to articles of personal use. Thermoplastic substancessuch as cellulose acetate molding material come withinthis class. Suchmaterials-take a set by" cooling in the well known processes of injection or compression molding. But it is characteristic of such materials that their shrinkage amounts to as much as four or five times that of metal and greatly exceeds theshrinkageof that class of thermo-setting, molded plastics which solidify permanently upon attaining some critical'heat in the mold. The plasticizers used in thermoplastics. absorb moisture. This and the solvents dry out resulting in considerable shrinkage or warpag of the molded piece even after ithas left the mold.

For all of these reasons accurate fits, such as 65 might bedepended upon in other materials to produce uniform degrees of frictional clinging engagement between the parts, become impracticable when thermoplastic materials are used. In the case of tubular parts which must telescopically slide while nested one within the other, unusual amounts of clearance and play between such parts become necessary to insure against the binding that otherwise would result from the worst cases of shrinkage and warpage in a given production run.

The constructions herein disclosed permit enlarged clearance and play between an open ended cosmetic container and its closure cap, while enabling the latter to cling and remain in closed position on the container during normal handling when the cosmetic is not being used. a

l designates, as a whole, a hollow cylindrical 7 container shell composed of the solid base or cross wall molded integrally with the curved shell walls I2. Longitudinally of walls l2 there is cut a slot having a wide portion l3 and a narrow portion M. The latter portion of the slot Cup I5 is given enough clearance with respect X to shell walls |2 safely to avoid sticking from efiects of shrinking and warpage that would otherwise prove troublesome and has an air opening l8 through its bottom wall. 0n the side of cup it there is integrally molded a projecting finger piece l9. In the normal working relation of parts this finger piece |9 protrudes through, and can be pushed upward in the wide slot portion l3 to its position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 where normally it is stopped by the slot shoulders at the junction of the wide and narrow slot portions. The narrow slot portion, however, permits the open top end of container In to be forcibly spread open far enough on occasion to so widen slot portion N that the finger piece l9 can be withdrawn therethrough entirely out of container shell ID. When released, the resilience of wall |2 will restore slot portion M to its normal narrow dimensions. Molded cellulose acetate material is suiiiciently resilient to serve this purposewhen it is formed into a curved wall approximately V thick in a size of shell like that of Figs. 1 and 2.

The cover cap 2| is an elongated open bottomed hollow cylindrical member having a notch 22 in the lower end of its curved wall accommodating the neck of the finger piece l9 when cap 2| is shoved fully onto the container. This notch 22 further weakens the normally circular edge of cap 2| at its open end so that such edge can more easily be distorted into oval form for a purpose that will appear. In the size shown, cap 2| may advantageously have a wall thickness of or more.

At a bottom location in the curved wall |2 of container shell l0 and on the outside of the shell diametrically opposite slot |3-|4 there is molded integrally with the curved shell wall l2 an external tapering ridge 23. Beside this ridge the curved shell wall I2 is perforated by two elongated spaced slots 24. The outstanding depth of ridge 23 exceeds the total diametrical clearance that will be encountered between the out: side curved surface of shell wall I 2-and the inside curved surface of the cap wall as at points designated 0. The area of wall I2 between slots 24 is permitted suflicient resilient flexibility by ridge 23 and slots 24 to be inwardly depressible by the squeezing force of cap 2| as its notched open end wipes over ridge 23 when the former is forced home from its position in Fig. 3 to its position in Fig. 4. The consequent inward defleeting of the section of wall |2 between slots 24 will cause this wall section to press against the plunger cup l6 when the latter is bottomed on container base H as shown in Fig. 5. Thus this cup It becomes retentively hugged when the cap 2| is fully applied despite normal freedom of cup Hi to slide. This prevents it from shaking from end to end of the cap closed container and prevents consequent daubing of the exposed end of the lipstick against the inside surface of the top or closed end wall of the cap.

' When ridge 23 is pressed slightly inward by the passing of cap 2| from its position shown in Fig. 3 to its position shown in Fig. 4, the lower notched open end of the cap becomes distorted from its circular form in Fig, 8 to a somewhat oval form as in Fig. 9 by the forceful wedging efiect of ridge 23. In the latter figure it is oloserved that the marginal portions of the cap wall in the neighborhood of notch 22 become drawn into retentive frictional contact with the outer surface of container shell H) in the neighborhood of slot l3 and close to the base Friction at this point plus the friction between cap 2| and the inclined surface of ridge 23, itself, reliably prevents the cap from accidentally loosening and becoming detached from the container shell to the annoyance of the user with the probability of the lipstick protruding and staining other articles in which or with which it is packed.

As the foregoing makes clear the manner of operation, it will better be understood that the shape and disposition of the inclined cap-wedging surface of ridge 23 causes such surface to be the only portion of the ridge which ever contacts with the cap 2| and also insures that only the notched edge at the open end of the cap will contact this ridge. There is thus maintained throughout and to the maximum extent of the wedging action a smooth grabless increase of clinging power of the cap as it approaches its fully seated portion action of the cap always takes place at its open notched edge where the curved side wall-of the cap is best able to yield and distort responsively to the forces acting.

As the advantages resulting from the structures herein illustrated and described may be attained by a variety of equivalents and substitutes which will readily occur to those skilled in the art,

the appended claims are intended to include and cover as wide a range of equivalents and substitutes for the parts and arrangements disclosed as fall fairly within their terms.

I claim:

1. In a stick containing and expellant holder. the combination of, a tubular casing shell having an end wall and a thin curved side wall of resilient material stiffened by said end wall in a region near the same and perforated by spaced neighboring elongated slots extending lengthwise of the shell near said end wall, a ridged portion of said side wall continuous therewith at both ends extending between and completely separating said slots, a stick-carrying plunger'freely slidable in and lengthwise of said shell-to a'position peripherally flanking said slots, and an openended elongated tubular cap of shape and size to slip telescopically over said casing shell and to engage wipingly with said ridged wall portion thereby to force said ridged portion of said side wall inward against said plunger whereby sliding of said plunger lengthwise of said shell away from its said position is opposed.

2. In a stick containing and expellant holder, the combination of, a tubular casing shell having an end wall and a thin curved side wall of resilient material stifiened by said end wall in a region near the same and perforated by spaced neighboring elongated slots extending lengthwise of the shell near said end wall, a ridged portion of said side wall continuous therewith at both ends extending between and completely separating said slots, a stick-carrying plunger freely slidable in and lengthwise of said shell to a position peripherally flanking said slots, and an open-ended elongated tubular cap having a notched edge adapted to slip telescopically over said casing shell and to engage wipingly with said ridged wall portion thereby to force said ridged portion of said wall inward against said plunger frictionally to oppose sliding of said plunger lengthwise of said shell.

3. In a stick containing holder, the combination of, a tubular casing shell having an inwardly yielding springy curved side wall of resilient material stiffened at one end of the shell by a rigid transverse end wall and leaving open the other end of the shell, a ridged section of said springy side wall elongated in such proximate relation to said rigid transverse wall that one of its ends is immobilized thereby, an elongated tubular cap having a terminal rim edge dimensioned to pass over said open end of the shell encompassingly and slide into wiping engagement with said, ridged wall section, and a wedging surface on said ridged wall section leading to said immobilized end of the latter and inclined in a manner to maintain contact with said terminal edge of said cap throughout wiping engagement of said cap with said ridged wall section, whereby said inclined surface wedges outwardly against said terminal edge of the cap in a range of positions of the latter relative to said shell and with increasing force during the approach of said terminal edge of the cap to the immobilized end of said ridged wall section.

4. In a stick containing holder, the combination recited in claim 3, wherein the said elongated tubular cap contains a notch extending through and rendering spreadable its said terminal rim edge, whereby said edge can yield spreadingly in response to the said outward wedging of the said immobilized end of said ridged wall section against said cap.

5. In a stick containing and expellant holder, the combination of, a tubular casing shell having a rigid cross wall at one end and a thin curved side wall of resilient material joined to and immobilized by said cross Wall, said side wall being perforated by spaced neighboring slots extending lengthwise of the tubular shell in the neighborhood of said cross wall and separated at all points by an intervening strip of said side wall disposed at one of its ends to be immobilized by said cross Wall and elsewhere 'rendered flexible by said slots, a stick-carrying plunger slidably guided in said shell to a position facing said strip, an open-ended elongated tubular cap adapted to slip telescopically over said casing shell, and means including said strip of side wall shaped and arranged to be forced against the perimeter of said plunger by movement of said cap relative to said shell thereby to exert frictional braking force on said plunger 'weakening slots each terminating in relatively spaced separate ends at said end wall, said shell having a guide slot on the side of the holder diametrically opposite said weakening slots, a stick carrying plunger slidable lengthwise of said shell to a position facing said slots having an operating manual laterally projecting outward through said guide slot, an open-ended tubular cap encompassing said casing shell at times with a hugging action and having a notch at its open end enabling said open cap end to straddle said manual and be somewhat spreadable without breaking, and means on said side wall of the casing shell between said weakening slots constructed and arranged to be actuated by hugging action of said spreadable open cap end in a manner to be pressed into frictional engagement with said plunger for yieldably staying the latter against movement and for yieldably detaining said cap against removal from said shell.

7. A cap retentive tubular holder for dispensable substances comprising, a hollow casing shell having a cylindrically curved side wall of resilient material sufficiently thin to be springy, a cross wall extending transversely of said shell comprising a rigid body of said material homogeneous with said side wall and stiffening the latter against diametrical compression, and a longitudinally inclined wedge-like ridge continuous at both ends with said side wall formed by a solid lug of said material standing outward from the cylindrical surface of said side wall at the junction thereof with said cross wall and in part extending away from said cross wall, said ridge standing out from said side wall to relatively high relief at said cross wall and to relatively low relief at a distance from said cross wall thereby to possess relatively greater rigidity in its section nearest said cross wall, together with two separate spaced dead-ended slots in said curved side wall of the casing shell extending alongside said ridge on each of the opposite sides thereof for thereat weakening said side wall.

JOHN W. ANDERSON. 

